Meg's Memo

Before & After - high chair

2012-02-02T14:51:00.004-05:00

We chose not to get a high chair for Lily. We ended up using the Bumbo & then moved her straight to a booster seat. It worked out well. The main reason we didn't purchase a high chair is because all the new ones are HUGE & BIG & BULKY. We do not have a garage or a basement but, we do have a small attic for storage. Therefore, we are very limited on space & storage.

Originally, when we were looking for a high chair, we were looking at thrift stores & yard sales for a small, collapsable, retro one. We found one 2 weeks ago at the Salvation Army. And YES...it was only $2.99. Here are some BEFORE pictures:

And AFTER:

Jake took apart & scrubbed on the chair. He removed a lot of dirt, rust & repainted the metal seat white. I made a slip cover for the back. It ties on at the bottom. I will then be able to remove it & throw it in the washer. I made an envelope closure on the bottom cushion so I can remove that & wash it too.

And the main selling point... it collapses & will fit in our hall closet.

Baby Shower for Taryn

2012-01-29T20:36:00.010-05:00

I was asked to do the decor for Taryn's baby BOY shower. The shower was on Saturday from 10-12 noon. Becky hosted the shower. We had a few meetings to brainstorm. Becky wanted to do a footprints theme. I had SO much fun thinking of & finding ideas. Here are some pics:

I saw this idea on Pinterest from HERE. Below is my version.

Customer tie onesies in newborn, 0-3 mos & 3-6 mos.

I found these glass baby bottles at the Salvation Army last weekend.

Taryn during Janet's devotional.

Baby Gibson banner

Shanda, Meg & Becky - the planning committee.

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

III John 4

Jake turns 31

2012-01-28T22:16:00.000-05:00

I think it's fun to celebrate ALL week for Jake's birthday. We started off the week by celebrating with this Reese's Cake. So so good.

We ended the week with this Lemon Blueberry Cake. I found the recipe on Pinterest. It was really good too. More work than the Reese's cake, but worth it.

Friday night Jake had an away basketball game. Lily & I set up for the baby shower on Saturday (post to come on that). Saturday (TODAY) was Jake's birthday. I had to be at the shower at 8am to help with food prep & finishing touches. We had a youth activity Saturday afternoon. I felt really badly that I wasn't around all morning for Jake's birthday, but Lily took Daddy out to Starbuck's. Jake & I went on a date tonight. We went out to dinner up at Topsail Beach. The Attoe's watched Lily. After our date we came back to the Attoe's to eat cake.

We came home, put Lily to bed & Jake opened his gifts. We got him a remote controlled helicopter. He's been playing with it ever since.

Before & After - Lily's Custom Tricycle

2012-01-27T20:33:00.005-05:00

Last weekend, we hit up some of the local thrift stores in town. We hit the jackpot that day.... more Before & After posts to come about that. We found this tricycle for $4.99 at Salvation Army. Here it is before:

And after:

It's Lily's Notre Dame Tricycle.

And YES, it is end of January here & we are wearing sandals, short sleeves & NO jackets!

20 weeks

2012-01-15T14:22:00.000-05:00

baby flaming - 20 weeks

2012-01-11T21:01:00.002-05:00

We got to see our little peanut today. I am half way - 20 weeks. Our baby was very active & looks to be doing great. I absolutely love seeing the baby move & all its parts & pieces. Well, not ALL of them....we choose NOT to find out the sex of the baby so we made it clear at the beginning that we didn't want to see anything. We love the surprise! Can't wait to meet this little one in end of May or early June.

sew curious

2012-01-08T22:20:00.002-05:00

I had my sewing machine out today.

I am doing the decor for an upcoming baby shower.

Lily got up from nap & made herself at home.

I can't wait to teach her to sew & cook & bake.

She already likes to "help" me vacuum.

We are so blessed.

LOVE her.

LOVE her daddy.

LOVE this baby that we get to see on Wednesday at our 20 week ultrasound.

Pics to come of the baby.

Lemon Meringue

2012-01-01T22:19:00.005-05:00

Christmas morning Lily opened her gifts at my parents house.

This gift caught me by surprise.

The video kind of explains it, but I got a Lemon Meringue doll for my 3rd birthday. I loved the doll & had kept her. When our family moved to MN, prior to the sophomore year of high school, we had a HUGE yard sale. Unbeknownst to me, my mom sold my Lemon Meringue doll. I was upset; she was the one thing I had wanted to keep from my childhood.

This year for Christmas, my Dad & Mom found a Lemon Meringue doll on ebay & got it for Lily (or is it for me?) for Christmas.

Here is a picture of me at the 3rd birthday party & my new doll.

Christmas in MN & WI

2011-12-31T21:52:00.001-05:00

We headed up north on Saturday, Christmas Eve. We had such a GREAT time with our families. Once again (this seems to always happen to me)...we get home...I look through my pictures on our camera and realize that we didn't take very many pictures. Mainly candids but hardly any of our family with us. Ugh - oh well. I don't have any pictures of Lily with her grandparents. How does this happen?

Below are a few pictures of our trip:

Lily opened TONS of gifts. She is loved & spoiled.

My mom & my sisters.

The Tuttle side of the family.

Lily & 2 of her cousins "helping" her open her gifts.

The Flaming side of the family.

I was also able to see a few of my MN friends.

What do you know...I had my camera with me, but I forgot to take a picture of my visit with Beth. I was also able to see my sweet friend, Kristina.

Christmas in NC

2011-12-30T21:45:00.000-05:00

We had our family Christmas on Friday (Christmas Eve Eve) late afternoon. After our Christmas, we dropped Lily off at Ed & Teena's & Jake & I headed out on a date. We flew out to MN the next morning.

Lily's new dog that she LOVES.

Jake MADE me a printers drawer. I'm planning on using it for a jewelry project.

sleeping beauty

2011-12-21T20:44:00.004-05:00

Lily took a 4 hour nap today! I don't know if she has ever napped this long. I ended up waking her up at 4 hours. I was afraid she wouldn't go to sleep tonight if I let her keep going. I went in to check on her (since it made me a little nervous that she was sleeping SO long) and here she was.....

They're so so sweet when they're sleeping.

PS - I think she's teething again & maybe growing, hence all the sleep.

merry christmas

2011-12-11T21:06:00.000-05:00

thanksgiving with family

2011-11-26T15:18:00.003-05:00

Luke & Jess came to visit us the whole week. It was GREAT having them here. Lily loved them.

As usual, I forgot my camera multiple times while we were out doing fun stuff, but here are a few pics from the week.

Lily & Luke doing some raking.

We had 14 family members come for Thanksgiving. . . me stuffing the bird.

Aunt Emily & Lily making rice krispie bars on Friday.

Lily was the taste-tester.

Lily & her buddy Luke.

secrets from Lily

2011-11-17T14:48:00.000-05:00

I am almost done with my first trimester; currently 11+ weeks. Our official due date is JUNE 6, but we'll see if this baby comes 2 weeks early like Lily did. Maybe we'll have a MAY baby.

So far this pregnancy has been very similar to my pregnancy with Lily. Very nauseous & sick for the first 3-4 weeks, then extremely tired, then indigestion, back to tired & sick. We also had a 9 week ultrasound back when my parents were here. SO FUN to have Mom go with me. The baby only measured 7 weeks (exact same thing happened with Lily). All that to say...we'll see if this is a May or June baby. We are so thankful for God blessing our family of four!

Well, Lily just woke up from nap & is back there chanting "baby." The secrets out!

new boots

2011-11-12T22:20:00.003-04:00

This weekend we got out all the Christmas decorations & decorated the house.

Lily sporting her new boots with her jeggings.

My two favorite reindeer. Notice the fire in the fireplace.

We also had Christmas music playing all day. . .but we've been doing that for months.

Lily eyeing up all the Christmas decor & boxes.

notre dame football

2011-11-06T20:46:00.004-04:00

Jake & I went on a little weekend getaway Saturday to Sunday. Notre Dame was playing Wake Forest (which never happens). Jake got us tickets. The game was in Wake Forest (3 1/2 hours away). We dropped off Lily at Ed & Teena's Saturday morning. We then headed to Wake Forest. It was an 8 pm game & temps were in the lower 40's. Night games are SO fun & chilly. We came back Sunday by lunch. Here are a few pics:

The above picture reminds me of the below picture.

This same weekend (first weekend in November) 4 years ago (2007) Jake came to visit me, in MN, for the first time. See it HERE. . . . and the rest is history.

Visit with Friends

2011-10-31T19:48:00.002-04:00

Sunday we drove to Raleigh to meet some friends of our who were in town from Pennsylvania. Jocelyn & I have been friends since 5th/6th grade. So fun to see her, Alan & meet Abigail.

Completely worn out.

yay for family

2011-10-19T21:08:00.000-04:00

My parents and my Grandma came to visit last week. It was SO NICE having them here. My mom was a HUGE help. They left & I am wishing they lived much much closer.

Otto's Come to Visit

2011-10-10T16:12:00.000-04:00

Our friends came to visit us on Saturday. We had so much fun with their family.

We went downtown in the morning, then came back to the house for naps & then went to the beach later that afternoon. We are hoping we'll get to see A LOT more of Tripp & Aili now that they are living in NC, just a few hours away.

Countdown to Christmas (with a tutorial)

2011-10-02T13:34:00.006-04:00

Our Land of Knod catalog came in the mail this week. I saw THIS & knew that I wanted to try to make it. I can't wait for Christmas this year as Lily will be able to participate & enjoy it. I've always loved these & this is the year to make one.

First of all I am using ALL existing fabric & scraps. So this is only costing me TIME (which I don't have much of). I started this during Lily's nap on Saturday & finished it after she went to bed. FREE is always a plus around our house.

First I cut out a large rectangular scrap. I finished all edges. First zig-zagging to prevent fraying & then turning it under & using a straight stitch. I also did a 2" rod pocket at the top for the dowel.

Once this was done I had a finished length of 20" x 28"

I added some rick-rack to the top & then started making the pattern for the pockets. I would suggest getting a piece of paper big enough to cover all the pockets. Then cut apart the paper for each pocket. You are making one big puzzle of pockets.

Next, start cutting fabric for each pocket. Remember to leave a half inch around all edges so you can finish the edges.

All 25 pockets cut out & ready to be turned under & finished.

Turn under all edges & sew with a straight stitch. Repeat 25 times.

Once one row of pockets was finished, I pinned them to the back piece.

Lily even helped me select fabric from my scraps.

Once one row is pinned down, top stitch the row of pockets to the back piece. I sewed one row of pockets at a time. Then finished the next 5 pockets, pinned & top stitched.

Repeat this for all 5 rows of pockets.

Now I was ready to number the pockets. I first tried my number stamps with the fabric paint but they were turning out blurry/blotchy. I decided to use my ink pad. This won't be getting washed often so the ink should set & not run.

Number all 25 pockets & your done!

Now its time to start shopping for tiny gifts to go in all 25 pockets!

PUMPKIN waffles

2011-09-28T13:55:00.004-04:00

A few weeks ago, my friend Beth, posted on facebook that she had made pumpkin white chocolate chip waffles for breakfast one Saturday morning. YUM! I asked her how she made them; she told me what ingredients she added to the Bisquick mix.

Last night I decided to try it. I did not have exact measurements so I just dumped & eye-balled it. Beth was right - these are AMAZING!

Here is what I did. (Disclaimer: I did NOT measure so below is a GUESS at what amounts I added.)

I DOUBLED the the recipe on the Bisquick box, however I did not add as much milk as it called for. The recipe doubled called for 2 2/3 cups milk. I only added 2 cups.

Then I added the following:

1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp cinnamon (you can never have too much cinnamon)
1/2 cup white chocolate chips

Mix batter & begin making waffles in your waffle iron.

This made 8 belgium waffles (6 inch).

They are so good plain. You could add maple syrup.

We had ours for supper (we love breakfast for supper) with coffee.

I'm planning to make these A LOT this fall!

mini cone cupcakes

2011-09-26T14:37:00.005-04:00

Below is how I made the mini cone cupcakes that I posted HERE.

I must start by saying that this is not my original idea. I saw a picture of these HERE, but there were really no details. It wasn't hard to figure out. I used a box cake mix. Once the cake batter was mixed up, I filled up my small creamer (from my sugar & creamer set) with batter. I used it to carefully poor the batter into the mini ice cream cones. This worked well; it was tedious but fun. I do not have a piping bag or set - definitely will be asking for one for Christmas. You could just pipe the batter into the cones to avoid the mess. I filled up the cones a little over half way. If you fill them too full the batter will pour over the sides of the cones. I put the filled cones into a glass 9x13.

Carefully put them in the oven. Bake at 325 until the cupcakes are done (I think it took 18 minutes for mine, but my oven does not run hot.) Make sure you have a qualified supervisor!

Let them cool completely.

I bought two pieces of floral foam. I then sprayed the tops of them with the Glow in the Dark spray paint (see previous post). I covered the edges with ribbon & used straight pins to keep the ribbon in place. BEFORE FROSTING - use wooden kabob skewers to poke in the bottom of cone & then into floral foam. Leave room in between cones & do various heights.

Like I said, I don't have piping supplies. I do however have an old (antique) cake decorating set. I used the metal writing tip. I cut a small corner off of a ziplock bag, place the tip inside the bag & then taped the tip on the outside to the bag. It worked fine. I wanted buttercream frosting. Found a recipe HERE. I ended up adding a few ounces of cream cheese to the frosting so it wasn't so sweet. We are picky with frosting at our house. Mix it up & start piping.

Once they were all frosted, I put them on a sheet pan & placed them in the fridge so the frosting would set.

Chillin'

So here's where the story really gets hilarious (sorry this post is SO long). My sister, Emily came up for the weekend. Jake was gone Wednesday to Friday to Myrtle Beach for a Teacher Convention & then he left right from Myrtle Beach & headed to Atlanta for a basketball coaches clinic. So thankful Emily came up.

The problem - we had to transport these, that is another reason why I put them in the fridge I wanted them to harden up for the car ride. I drove, Emily held the pan. I was breaking (slowly) for a red light. Emily went to reposition her hand & we lost half of the cupcakes into the dashboard! I had not brought any extra frosting with me. Immediately Lily started chanting UT-OH from the backseat (and kept chanting for miles). Emily & I just started laughing. What can you do but laugh?

Thankfully there was only ONE total loss.

Once we arrived at the Attoe's house, I touched up the frosting & then we ended up putting them in the freezer for a few minutes. Some of them had fallen thru the stick from the car ride as well. In the future, I would do the assembly (sticks in the cupcakes & frosting) once we get to the location.

party planning

2011-09-26T10:38:00.007-04:00

What's more fun that planning your own party (HERE & HERE)?

Helping plan someone else's party!

My friend's (Janna) daughter turned 16 earlier this month. Janna had asked me to help her plan Jensen's 16th birthday party. Jensen is Lily's favorite babysitter! Of course I said yes. Now Jensen already had some ideas for her party. She wanted NEON pink, green & orange for the colors. She also wanted to do a black light/glow-in-the-dark party.

So here is what Janna & I came up with:

Janna & Jensen prior to the party.

I already had this fabric in my stash so I sewed a table cloth, as well as medium & large bunting.

Photos of Jensen, balloons, flowers.

Love green button mums (I had them in my wedding).

Large bunting.

I bought Glow In the Dark spray paint at WalMart. We made the 16's.

They glowed during the black light part of the party.

Happy Birthday banner over the fireplace.

These mini cone cupcakes were so fun to make. I will post details of this later.

Some mini bunting for the sweets table.

They had glow sticks for bracelets, earrings, necklaces, etc. . . We put on the invite to wear white & that prizes would be given for whoever GLOWED best. The kids got into it.

The party was great! Jensen & her friends had fun.

onesies for the twosies

2011-09-18T20:32:00.005-04:00

So I had my sewing machine out last week since the pillowcase dress & decided to keep it out & keep checking off the projects. Made these cute little embellished onesies for the new twins.

I used fabric paint & my Anthropologie stamps (above).

I made my own tie pattern (below).

Crayon Roll

2011-09-17T12:52:00.005-04:00

I saw THIS & knew that Lily HAD to have one.

So why wait? I made this one last night.

These would be so fun to make for birthday gifts or favors. We took Lily's to the games today with her coloring book. She still likes to eat the crayons, but we are aspiring for an artist.

jewelry holder & organizer

2011-09-15T14:44:00.004-04:00

Who hasn't been running late & then can't seem to find the perfect jewelry to go with your outfit? Or when you do find it it's all tangled with 3 other necklaces.

I made this YEARS ago, posted it way back HERE. I thought I'd post it again. I have had a handful of friends ask me how I made it & they have gone on and made their own. A few also made extra's for Christmas gifts for their daughters & nieces. It's so simple; use an empty frame & some chicken wire. I ended up adding some Anthropologie hardware as well so I could hang necklaces. LOVE this. Simplifies my mornings.

pillowcase dress

2011-09-11T13:40:00.005-04:00

Here is another thing I've been wanting to do forever. Finally got around to it on Saturday during Lily's nap time.

Since Lily was napping, I couldn't go in her closet to get out a dress to measure against. The brown dress is way too longer (6+ inches) so we'll have to save it for next summer or when she is 3! Later, I grabbed a dress & made the below dress for her to wear now.

And our little model. . .

Last Night's Project

2011-09-07T15:38:00.005-04:00

I should have taken a before picture, but the below *white* onesie was no longer white. Lily spilled something on it & I just could not get it out. I tried everything: spotting, soaking, bleaching & I tried them all multiple times. So I decided to cover it up!

(I did something similar with a cute Children's Place dress that I got for 25 cents at a yard sale. It looked like it a had a few blue marker stains. I ended up sewing buttons over the stains & now the dress looks even cuter! )

Next project: Hair-bows for Lily

I have been wanting to make Lily some hair-bows ever since she was born. I just have not had time or energy or made time. I just made a couple super simple ones last night. My mom had given me some vintage buttons over Christmas. I am finally putting them to use.

Please note that Lily is modeling her new hair-bows in her new Notre Dame jersey. It just came via FedEx today! Sent to her by Aunt Anna. Thanks Anna!

Now I need to make Lily a navy blue hair-bow to wear with that jersey. I'm sure she'll have the jersey on every Saturday (especially the Saturday's Jake gets her up & dressed).

Game Day 2011

2011-09-03T21:48:00.003-04:00

Notre Dame's first game is today. While the game was on I was baking THIS.

Daddy & Lily watching the game while getting dressed after bath.

YES, it did taste as good as it looks. I will be making this again!

Aftermath of Hurricane IRENE

2011-08-27T21:38:00.000-04:00

So thankful for God keeping us safe during IRENE. We are praying for those who were not so fortunate. We had minor damages - leaves, branches & limbs down as well as shingles in the yard.

Preparing for Hurricane IRENE

2011-08-26T21:20:00.001-04:00

Hurricane IRENE is my first real hurricane since getting married & moving to NC.

I had a little checklist of things to do BEFORE IRENE hit.

Laundry Done

Baking Done (banana bread, apple cake & peanut butter chocolate chip cookies)

Bottled Water Purchased
Clean House
Fill the bathtubs with water (just in case the water is turned off)
Go see the waves at the beach

We welcomed in Irene on Friday night. It was so windy.

the TWINS are here

2011-08-25T21:18:00.005-04:00

Remember THIS?

My cousin Adam, & his wife Chrissy, welcomed Lucas & Lauren into their family on Wednesday, August 24. They came around 3:40pm. They are just two little peanuts.

all in ONE year

2011-08-25T21:05:00.002-04:00

How does this happen in just ONE year?

I pulled Lily's swing out this week so she could put her babies in it.

weekend finds

2011-08-21T21:04:00.002-04:00

I LOVE junk . . . yard sales, thrift stores & piles by the side of the road. Jake spotted these two beauties at a yard sale this weekend & we snatched them up. We are using the open crate to hold our sound system. Still deciding what to do with the soda bottle crate. Any ideas?

baby at the beach

2011-08-20T15:11:00.004-04:00

We took Lily to the beach Friday night. Yes, i do realize that she is not a baby anymore. . . the time goes too fast! Lily LOVES the water & really liked looking for shells. I think she may be our mermaid.

PLAY-time

2011-08-16T19:57:00.004-04:00

Lily was having SO much fun playing today while i was working. I just had to stop & snap a few pics. The problem is that she is so active, it's really hard to get a photo that isn't a blur.

I also thought she looked so cute in these legging capri's - a little crazy pattern, but fun.

weekend with friends

2011-08-10T15:08:00.003-04:00

Our good friends, the Wetterlund's, were in town this past weekend. They moved to the Chicago area a year ago; we sure miss their family. We were able to catch up over supper on Saturday night. Micah & Laci had a sleepover with Lily on Sunday night. Remember our previous sleepovers HERE & HERE & HERE.

Here are a few pics from the weekend (bummed that we forgot to take a picture with Dave & Jenny).

The Wetterlund's four children - Micah, Laci, Ailie & Jude (Lily was napping).

Laci feeding Lily breakfast after the sleepover. Laci is such a good helper!

Micah & Lily "wrestling."

Playing on the iPad.

Ailie playing.

Maybe someday we will be neighbors with them . . . .

Project of the Week (two of them)

2011-08-05T17:58:00.005-04:00

I have been wanting to do both of these project for a while, but have not had the time or could not find what I was looking for. Finally was able to check both of them off of my list!

LIVING ROOM DRAPES:

I have been planning on sewing drapes for our living room for a while. I had fabric selected over a year ago, but then the store sold out. I selected a different fabric last week, but started thinking . . . . almost 3 yards per window X 3 windows X $7.99 per yard PLUS nearly 9 yards of lining fabric adds up to A LOT. I also would need to find the time to sew them. I really was planning on buying fabric & starting to sew, but then I found these panels at Ross for $9.99 each. So I paid less for 3 panels plus hardware for 3 windows than I would have for just the decorator fabric (not counting the lining fabric).

RECOVERING THE DINING CHAIRS:

Another project that I have wanted to do for a while. The chairs were black "leather," however, in our move a few of them were ripped. This spring Jake's rivets, on his back pockets, tore holes in them too. To top it all off, one day Lily found the rips & decided to pull some big hunks off. Two of the four chairs were still fine but I decided to recover all 4 of them. The fabric is actually outdoor fabric so it should wear well.

VW Bug - FINISHED

2011-08-03T22:20:00.004-04:00

Jake purchased a 1972 Super Beetle back in November. He's been working on fixing it up this past year. See HERE & HERE for previous updates & before pictures. Well, it is done (ok, there are still a few minor things to do, but overall it's done!).

Let's Hear it for NEW YORK

2011-07-28T21:16:00.005-04:00

On Mother's Day, Jake surprised me by telling me that we were going to NYC for our anniversary, just the two of us. Friday we were to fly out at 7:30 & arrive in NYC by 9:30. We ended up delayed 2 hours, then boarded & took off. We had been in the air 20+ minutes & the pilot said we were turning around & landing in Wilmington due to "a/c issues." The flight was cancelled. They couldn't get us to NYC until after 3pm on Saturday afternoon. So we basically lost a whole day of our 3 day vacation. . . huge bummer.

Finally in NYC (4pm on Saturday), waiting for the subway.

It was HOT.

We went to TKTS on Broadway as soon as we hit NYC & got tickets to "Catch Me If You Can."

My bosses nephew is the lead role - Frank Abagnale JR. We got to meet Aaron after the show & get a backstage tour. Thanks Becky, for the hook-up.

Sunday morning we met some friends, James & Candace, in Brooklyn for donuts at Peter Pan Donuts. I totally forgot to take a picture.

Yankees vs A's game Sunday afternoon.

Jake had a foul ball in his hands but then dropped it.

We went to STOMP on Sunday night.

Found this yummy gelato place after the show. Then walked to Trader Joe's.

Monday morning we got up & headed to the Today Show. Unbeknownst to us, they were doing a segment on HOPE week with 3 Yankees players - Jeter, Sebathia & Cano. We snapped some photos. Jake waited outside the door for Cano to come by so he could "meet" him. I was ready with the camera. . . but i missed it when Jake gave him a fist bump.

Jake's reaction after the fist bump. (I do also have a picture of his reaction when I told him I missed it & did not get a photo. Oops!)

Magnolia Bakery
Top Of The Rock

The Original Famous Ray's Pizza

We had such a nice time in NYC. So fun to get away, just the two of us. We did miss our little Lily bug. . .A LOT! She had fun with her cousins while we were gone. Thank You Chrissy & family!

new renters

2011-07-18T14:39:00.004-04:00

Just last week we had some new renters move in.

We witnessed the birds scope it out & then start building their nest over just a few days.

I couldn't help but think of & start meditating on this favorite passage of scripture:

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious (worried) about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?

26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?

27 And which of you by being anxious (worried) can add a single hour to his span of life?

28 And why are you anxious (worried) about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin,

29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

31 Therefore do not be anxious (worried), saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’

32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.

33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

34 So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

MATTHEW 6:25-33 ESV, verse 34 NASB

("worried" is the NASB translation)

TWINS shower

2011-07-10T21:07:00.008-04:00

My cousin Adam's wife, Chrissy, is expecting TWINS in September.

We had a little TWINS shower for her on Saturday.

I can't wait to meet these two (1 boy & 1 girl).

Chrissy's mom ordered the below cake for the shower.
It was fun that she could be there for the shower.

My little helper. These cute aprons were a birthday gift for Lily.

***Jake took these photos quick before the shower started. I was so busy that I didn't touch the camera during the shower. So bummed that I didn't take a picture with Chrissy & her girls.***

Vacation - part five

2011-07-07T18:27:00.004-04:00

So the REAL reason we took vacation these dates was for the GRANDIA FAMILY REUNION. We drove down to my grandparents house, in Iowa, on Friday. The reunion was Friday night to Monday morning. My grandparents even paid for everyone's transportation to get there - HUGE blessing. Our 2 tickets were close to $1000. So thankful for the time to get reacquainted with our family. Thanks Grandpa & Grandma for your generosity.

Vacation - part four

2011-07-07T17:31:00.002-04:00

More highlights - Wednesday we went to the TWINS game - Thanks Dad & Mom!

Vacation - part three

2011-07-07T16:00:00.004-04:00

More Highlights - Tuesday we went downtown to meet Bekah, Eric & Luke for lunch. We also went to the ice cream social that Bekah's work was hosting.

The kids got their face and/or hand painted

Lily got to meet TC (MN Twins mascot)

Vacation - part two

2011-07-07T15:47:00.003-04:00

MORE highlights -Monday night we had a picnic at the park with BOTH families. That was fun!

Vacation - part one

2011-07-06T21:26:00.003-04:00

We flew to MINNESOTA on Saturday, July 25 for our summer vacation.

Here are some highlights (more pictures on facebook).

Family birthday party for Lily

Hanging out with the family (YES, MN is still cool enough for a fire pit.)

LOTS of playing with cousins

12 Month Photo Shoot

2011-06-14T21:04:00.007-04:00

Here are a few of our favorites.

Photos taken by JOY BARTH.

BiRtHdAy PaRtY (more pics)

2011-06-13T20:41:00.004-04:00

Reminiscing . . . Lily's Birth Story

2011-06-12T22:05:00.002-04:00

I've been wanting to type this up for a while now . . . actually a year. Just now decided to go ahead & do it. Some of the details may have been a little clearer a year ago.

This weekend I have been reminiscing on what all Jake & I did last year on this weekend. Friday afternoon I had a doctor appointment; I was at 3cm already! (I was still 2 weeks early - due date was June 27.) Friday night Jake & I grabbed Moe's & had a date at the beach. Saturday we relaxed, finished a few projects & swam at Ed & Teena's. I ran an errand to Kohl's & was feeling a lot of pressure. I decided to head home & put my feet up - something didn't feel right.

We went to bed Saturday night. I woke up around 2:30 or 3 with contractions. (I had not had any contractions prior to this point.) I would get out of bed & walk around. Then lay back down once the contraction was over. It seemed like once I was about to fall back asleep another one would come. They kept coming regularly but not very close together. Around 6am, I decided to call the hospital to speak with a nurse. The nurse said everything sounded good, I could come in & get checked or keep laboring at home. I did NOT want to go to the hospital & be sent home so I wanted to be home as long as possible. At this point I told Jake what was going on. I couldn't sleep. I decided to take a shower & relax between contractions. Around 8:30am the contractions went from 10+ minutes apart to 5 minutes apart. We decided to finish getting ready & head to the hospital. If the hospital sent us home, I could always unpack the bag. We arrived at the hospital around 10am. To make a LONG story short, they checked me. . .I was a 9! We decided to forgo the epidural since I was so close. I LOVED our nurse; she was awesome. The doctor came in to check me & left. He was only gone a minute & was called back since I had "uncontrollable urge to push." Jake was so great with labor & delivery. I had to push 5-10 times. Lily was born at 11:57am.

Next time I better get to the hospital a little sooner.

BiRtHdAy PaRtY

2011-06-11T22:23:00.003-04:00

We had Lily's one year birthday party today.

More pictures to come.

Everyone says it goes quickly, but it really does. Yes we have had some long days, long nights & long weeks . . . but overall it goes so fast. Trying to enjoy every moment of motherhood.

BED.head

2011-06-06T21:11:00.004-04:00

SWING

2011-06-04T20:51:00.004-04:00

I have been searching Yard Sales for an outdoor swing for Lily. I haven't found one yet. This morning Jake said he thought he could make a swing. Another use for our old fence pickets (see other uses HERE). A few minutes later (minus the drying time for the paint) we had a swing.

Lily supervising from the kitchen.

Painting.

Done.

Lily approved.

And we're back

2011-06-03T20:21:00.000-04:00

Our camera was stepped on 3 weeks ago (see Patriot Rush post) . . . We finally "bit the bullet" & bought a new one. A nice once. A Canon SX30. It does video in HD.

Lily playing with her new kitchen. See previous post.

JACKPOT

2011-05-15T08:04:00.004-04:00

So any of you who REALLY know me know that I would pass up "real" shopping any-day to go yard sale-ing, dumpster diving or to thrift stores. LOVE searching for a deal or a steal or something unique.

I have been looking for some things that we need (and want) for Lily, but I do not want to pay full price. So yesterday, I hit the jackpot. We stopped at Memories of a Child. Since our camera died yesterday, I'll have to provide links of what we got. I have been wanting to find Lily a kitchen set for her 1 year birthday. I do NOT want a big plastic one. I would like something wooden. Found one online at IKEA but it's $100.

So yesterday, I found THIS kitchen for Lily. It's the one that says - STOVE-SINK COMBINATION R0123

The sink was full of toys as well as another shrink wrap pack underneath. When we got home I washed it all down. When I undid the shrink wrapped sink & pack & found MORE. THIS was in the sink. As well as THIS & THIS. It also had some assorted pots, pans & plates.

The best thing is. . . I paid $40 for ALL of it. Brand new it's all worth - $309

Other deals I've found recently:

Car Seat Cover (I wished I had one for Lily so I snatched one up; sheepskin lined too; for future children) - GoodWill for $4
Booster Seat (to attach to the barstool) - $1 at a yard sale
Little Bike (indoor/outdoor) - Found at Memories of a Child

Still searching for. . . .

Bath Toy Holder
Outdoor Swing to hang in our tree

Patriot Rush 5K

2011-05-14T19:35:00.002-04:00

Saturday morning, we ran our first official 5K as a family. Jake pushed Lily in the jogger. You can't tell from this picture, but i made Lily a shirt. Jake's bib number was 301. Lily's shirt says 301-A. Jake ran with me for the first 1.5 miles. He finished in just under 25:30. I finished just under 26:00 minutes.

PATRIOT RUSH site

And these are the only two pictures we took prior to our camera breaking. I think someone stepped on it. The lense is stuck half way out & there is no way it can be fixed. :(

strawberry pickin'

2011-05-07T18:21:00.000-04:00

This morning we met our friends, Adam, Anna, Kinley & Logan at LEWIS FARMS to go strawberry pickin.' We went a few weeks ago but today was the best day to pick. Tons of red juicy sweet strawberries. We had fun.

beautiful day

2011-05-05T15:13:00.000-04:00

VW Bug - progress

2011-05-02T15:05:00.003-04:00

Jake's been working on his car a lot. Trying to get it all ready to paint.

It'll be a beauty once it's done. He's aiming to have it all done by August 1.

Lily did some supervising.

EASTER 2011

2011-04-24T19:47:00.005-04:00

Easter Sunday morning. Ready to head to church & celebrate ALL Christ has done for us.

Mommy & Lily
Daddy & Lily - (LOVE them)

We had my cousin, Adam & his family over for Easter dinner. We did a little Easter Egg Hunt with the girls. All ready to start the hunt.

Reiley finding some in the flowers.

Sydney had to find all the ones that were high. The little girls got the ones on the ground.
Lily had some help finding eggs.

And then our camera ran out of juice. . .

We are so thankful to have Adam & Chrissy and the girls in town. It's great to be able to spend time with family on holidays.

cousins

2011-04-23T14:56:00.000-04:00

Jake's cousin, Stephanie J. & her family, were in NC on a road trip. We got to meet up with them in Jacksonville Saturday morning for brunch. Nice to finally meet them.

They are on week one of a three week road trip.

10 months

2011-04-17T22:02:00.001-04:00

Our little Lily bug turned 10 months this past Wednesday.

She's getting so big, so fast.

landscaping - flowers

2011-04-12T20:24:00.004-04:00

We (mostly Jake) has been doing some work around our yard. Jake was home for spring break last week - so nice to have him around. He spent most of the break outside working in the yard.

My latest planter I did for the front porch. Can't wait for the poppy's to bloom.

Lily likes it too.

Some new perennials as well as some transplanted bulbs & ivy.

Jake built the compost pile last week. Also put the brick border around the compost pile & apple tree.

More pots/planters on the back patio.

We got these plants last summer when my Mom was here. They were basically dead & FREE at Lewis Farms. My mom said that they should come back so we snagged them & planted. So glad we did - they are doing the best out of all our perennial plants.

Lindsay gave us the "F" flag for Christmas.

on the move . . .

2011-03-29T19:02:00.003-04:00

at the living room cocktail table (which she has started to walk around) . . .

at the sofa . . .
at great grandma's chair in the entryway . . .
at the dining room window . . .

Disclaimer: none of these pictures were staged

sisters come to visit

2011-03-27T14:31:00.004-04:00

My sister, Lindsay, flew in late last Sunday night for her spring break. It was so fun to have her here for the week. Lily enjoyed playing outside & going for walks with Aunt Lindsay.

Auntie Em drove up from Charleston on Wednesday night.

Hanging out at Daddy's baseball game.

Bedtime story with Aunt Lindsay.

Downtown Wilmington - we hit up Coastal Cupcakes.

8 month photo shoot

2011-03-26T15:48:00.005-04:00

We had Lily's EIGHT MONTH photo shoot back around Valentine's Day. You may have seen the sneak peek HERE. We got all the pictures back last week. I am just now getting around to putting them up. We had a busy, but very fun week (another post to come) - my sister's came to visit!

Here are some of our favorites.

Coastal Photography by Joy Barth

spring is here

2011-03-19T13:35:00.001-05:00

It's gorgeous here today - 80's.

We broke out the shorts.

9 months

2011-03-15T14:17:00.002-05:00

Our sweet baby girl turned 9 months old this past Sunday! Where has the time gone? This all has gone by so quickly. Lily is doing great. We go to the doctor next week for all her stats. She is changing so quickly.

Tooth #3 poked thru this week (top, left side)
Lily is pulling up on everything (chairs, tables, etc. . .)
Lily has amazing abs - sits up from the laying down position in a split second
LOVES bath time - she is very daring & crazy

We love you Lily Anne Flaming. We are so thankful God gave you to us.

bath-time

2011-03-11T15:19:00.003-05:00

nap-time

2011-03-10T16:11:00.003-05:00

Lily right after I lay her down for nap - one last peek at Mom

Lily when I go to get her up from nap - ready to play

Anna's Here

2011-02-21T15:17:00.003-05:00

Jake's sister, Anna, flew in Saturday morning for a long weekend with Lily.

Anna is trying to get Lily's first real word to be ANNA - good luck!

Watching Baby Einstein on mommy's new ipad (thanks to some generous friends).

Jake is off today for President's Day. SO NICE to have him home to help with Lily while I work. It's a lot to work from home & take care of your baby at the same time. So thankful though, that I can be home with Lily.

Unfortunately, Anna started feeling sick Sunday night/early Monday morning - stomach bug. Anna has spent most of today in bed. Lily's top teeth are trying to come in. Poor girl, she's been a mess all weekend. Hopefully they poke through soon.

Since I'm working, Anna's in bed sick, & Daddy is home, Lily decided to help daddy work on his VW Beetle today. The weather has been great this weekend - 70's.

(see Lily doing funny stuff with her lips - i think it makes her gums feel better)

STRIPES

2011-02-19T11:30:00.001-05:00

BEFORE

(sort of. . . Jake had already started moving some art & things)

DURING

AFTER

baby food

2011-02-17T19:09:00.003-05:00

I've been making my own baby food. I'm having fun with it. . . for the most part.

I didn't start any cereal or food until Lily's 6 month birthday. I started off by buying oatmeal (not rice) cereal, but it looks like fish food. Seriosly, it does. After we used up the box I just ground up old fashioned oats in my food processor. Lily loves it & it's definitely healthier or it looks better than the flakes.

Today I did corn & peas for the first time. It was super easy. I've already done banana (multiple times) & pumpkin. Lily also loves apple.

I found this AWESOME website all about homemade baby food - Wholesome Baby Food. The site tells you when to start what foods, nutritional value, how to cook them, recipes & what other foods to mix it with. So great!

My HUGE helper.

Then I freeze it in ice cube trays.

A little disclaimer:

I have bought some baby food. I periodically get Gerber coupons in the mail for $1 off if you buy 3 or 4 two-packs. With a coupon it's under $3 for 6-8 containers of food. When I get those coupons, I've used them for more expensive veggies or fruits like mango, peaches, squash, plums, pears, etc. . . I also initially used the coupons for some of the first foods since they are so finely strained & pureed.

Happy VALENTINE'S Day

2011-02-14T16:24:00.001-05:00

We had Lily's 8 month photo shoot on Saturday. This is a sneak peek.

Valentine's Day at Our House

2011-02-12T13:14:00.005-05:00

on my heart

2011-02-06T21:24:00.002-05:00

He's Always Been Faithful

By: Sara Groves

Morning by morning I wake up to find
the power and comfort of God's hand in mine.
Season by season I watch him amazed, in
awe of the mystery of his perfect ways

All I have need of his hand will provide.
He's always been faithful to me

I can't remember a trial or a pain he did
not recycle to bring me gain. I can't
remember one single regret in serving
God only and trusting his hand

This is my anthem, this is my song, the
theme of the stories I've heard for so long.
God has been faithful, he will be again.
His loving compassion, it knows no end.

some Lily love

2011-02-04T15:03:00.003-05:00

birthdays (part three)

2011-01-29T19:30:00.004-05:00

So this was the BIG SUPRISE . . . .

Friday evening we dropped Lily off at the babysitter's (thanks Auntie Janna) & unbeknownst to Jake, Lily was staying there for the night! Lily had her first sleepover & did great.

We drove downtown & I told Jake where to turn. We pulled in to The Front Street Inn.

We stayed in The Nutcracker Suite. We then walked to The Riverboat Landing for dinner.

After a yummy dinner, we went to Port City Java for some coffee & then back to our suite for some Coastal Cupcakes. I ordered these & had them delivered to our room.

Such a fun weekend. We picked up our little bug around 11am on Saturday morning. We missed her & she was happy to see us.

HAPPY 30TH BIRTHDAY, JAKE!

birthdays (part two)

2011-01-24T15:39:00.002-05:00

I thought. . . why not make the cake on Saturday, so we can eat Birthday Cake all week?!

Jake not too excited about 3-0.

Coming to grips rather quickly when I said we could eat cake ALL week.

birthdays

2011-01-22T14:46:00.003-05:00

This Friday, January 28th, Jake turns 30!

I decided we should start celebrating early . . . all week.

We started this morning. I made homemade cinnamon rolls with homemade cream cheese icing.

The birthday candles are out & we ate them on the birthday plates.

I made a "Happy Birthday" banner for our mantle.

More updates on Jake's birthday to come!

7 months

2011-01-13T20:30:00.003-05:00

Lily is showing off her new owl backpack that she picked out from The Land of Nod.

(Thanks to Aunt Anna's Christmas gift card)

This picture is for Auntie Em. These jammies were a Christmas gift.

sNoWdAy*

2011-01-10T15:54:00.002-05:00

minnesota christmas

2011-01-04T20:45:00.003-05:00

1st Cereal

2010-12-14T18:50:00.003-05:00

Last night she loved it.

And tonight she did even better with daddy.

6 months

2010-12-13T15:53:00.002-05:00

Merry Christmas

2010-12-12T12:53:00.001-05:00

from the flamings

early addict

2010-12-06T20:06:00.003-05:00

We were at Port City Java & Lily just kept grabbing my (empty) cup & putting it to her mouth. This really isn't staged. She'll be addicted. . .at a young age.

I AM LOVED

2010-12-03T21:04:00.000-05:00

& so does Mommy.

i already told you what i think...

2010-11-25T19:45:00.002-05:00

5 months

2010-11-13T14:16:00.002-05:00

sleepover

2010-11-10T20:44:00.001-05:00

tonight is the first of many

4 month photo shoot

2010-11-04T15:26:00.004-05:00

then & now

2010-11-02T18:52:00.005-05:00

We just got ALL of Lily's 4 month pictures back; they were taken the beginning of October. We absolutely LOVE how they turned out. I'll be posting more of them, but here is a growth comparison.

Lily at 2+ weeks:

Lily at almost 4 months:

Trick or Treat

2010-10-31T14:43:00.005-05:00

thumb-sucker

2010-10-30T19:33:00.002-04:00

I've been trying to get a picture of this for a while now. Whenever, I have the camera out she won't put it in there. She's a thumb-sucker (so was I).

Love how she has her thumb in and the other hand holding her paci.

crazy Monday

2010-10-26T18:15:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, around noon, I heard some loud music & tires screeching. I looked out the living room window & saw a car cruising & spinning through our yard. Thankfully, the car was stopped by a tree. I first thought it was going to hit the house & I'd have a car in our living room. We're so thankful for God's protection. Sweet Lily napped through the whole thing (2 cop cars, 2 firetrucks, 1 ambulance & 1 wrecker).

On a ROLL . . .literally

2010-10-21T17:28:00.004-04:00

Lily likes to play on her back on her play-mat. Today, I put her down on her back, turned around & found her like this. . . on her tummy. She rolled tummy to back a few weeks ago, but today is the first time she's rolled back to tummy.

Lily tends to get frustrated on her tummy so when she rolled over, I'd put her back on her back when she had had enough on her tummy (the sign was lots of grunting & fussing). She kept rolling over back to tummy. A few minutes later she rolled back to tummy & then tummy to back. She's moving now!

4 months

2010-10-13T20:55:00.001-04:00

13 pounds 4 ounces

24 1/2 inches long

almost 4 months

2010-10-10T15:19:00.004-04:00

I can't believe how FAST these past 4 months have gone. Lily will be 4 months old on Wednesday, the 13th. We did have her 4 month photo shoot yesterday. Stay tuned for pictures from that - can't wait to see how they turned out. Here are a couple of recent pictures.

Lily with Sheriff Ed McMahon at the WCA Carnival

Lily in her bumbo - playing.

TODAY Lily rolled over front to back - TWICE. She is also working hard at rolling over back to front. She's also been giggling a lot, but as soon as I get the camera out she stops. We'll get it on video at some point.

SuRpRiSe

2010-10-02T20:56:00.002-04:00

Last weekend, Lily & I flew to Minnesota to surprise my parents. They hadn't seen Lily since she was two weeks old - HERE. Babies change so quickly & grow so fast.

Lily with Grandpa & Grandma

Great Grandpa

Four Generations

All the Aunts (minus Anna & plus Morgen)

I was even able to have a quick visit with some of my friends. Beth & her kids came over to see us.

Aili & Luke came over. We are working on an arranged marriage for Luke & Lily. :)

We went to see Kristina & her two girls. Bridget is only a week old. So glad we were able to go for a weekend. Now we're counting down the days until Christmas!